coils settling??

rebel65 · Apr 9, 2007

hey what up!!

anyway, i just installed some KYB gas a just and 600# one inch drop springs onto my 65 Coupe. I already have the Shelby drop ( by po ) actually done well amazingly ( this is a guy who put on one of those toilet paper filters instead of upgrading to one from the current era ) and the front end is 2.5 to 3 inches higher than with my 40 year old springs and not so old struts.

My question is what happened? did i order the 700# BB springs? Or are they going to settle ?? it's obviously no biggie to strip it off and cut the coil a little, i'de rather not though . it looks like my car has no engine in it!! I haven't gotten around to putting the leafs and PHB yet but i'm slightly confused.

the whole front suspension was up in the air without wheels on it for a few months atleast 5 months if not more while i pulled the resources to get everything, could this have done something to the LCAs ? or tie rod? anything would help, sorry if the though pattern seems a little scattered but i was kinda freaking out when i FINALLY got my car off the jack stands and the car didn't go down just the tires LOL...

Thanks for reading!!

dennis112 · Apr 9, 2007

The springs should settle some with a little time, a month or so. I doubt if you will get much more than an inch, more than likely less with those springs. The shocks are initially pretty strong too, but will weaken some after driving.

Probably cutting time . . . . . Have you done the rear yet? If you are replacing any parts there you might want to wait and see how it looks afterwards.

bnickel · Apr 9, 2007

honestly, it sounds like you have the entire front end preloaded. you need to loosen the bolts on the LCA's and bounce the car up and down a few times, back it up and down the driveway a few times and the retighten the bolts. what happened, it sounds like, is that you tightened all the bolts down with the car in the air thereby preloading the front suspension

mdjay · Apr 9, 2007

dennis112 said:
Probably cutting time . . . . . Have you done the rear yet? If you are replacing any parts there you might want to wait and see how it looks afterwards.

This isn't too uncommon for fine tuning. But the car shouldn't be that high up out of the gate. Did you get the 1" coil insulators, or the 1/4" insulators?

It's not uncommon when changing out the arms and springs all at once to have have susp. loaded as noted above. Take bnickels advice before thinking about cutting.

rebel65 · Apr 10, 2007

yes it's the 1/4 inch insolator i'm so glad i got it cause i was going to get the 1" Teehee.. i didn't replace any control arms though.

bnickel,
i did tighten all the spring perches and strut bolts with it up in the air, but the LCA i didn't touch. i will try that next weekend. what would you suggest though, jack it up loosen then let it down and bounce? just get some free movement and it should not be loaded?

cause i got up on top of my car and did everything but actually jump up and down on it ( feet leaving the ground err.. car ) to try and lower it and i weigh 250 lbs... so i thought if it was a tight LCA bolt it might give..

I Will report back then thanks a lot i always love you guys.

rbohm · Apr 10, 2007

first the stock springs were likely saggin badly, they do that as the material they were made from wasnt the best. so when you replaced the front springs, you likely got the stock length springs and that will raise the front suspension about 2" or so.

second, having the front suspension up in the air for the time you did likely changed the angle of the lower arms, causing them to want to sit higher than they normally would.

first loosen the bolts on the lower arms, and bounce the suspension, or take the car for a short(LOW SPEED) drive. then with the car at normal ride hieght tighten the bolts. drive the car for about 500 miles or so to let the front springs settle. if after 500 miles(and after you have replaced the rear springs) the front is still too high, you can start cutting coils from the front springs. DO NOT cut more than 1/2 a coil at a time, and better to cut a 1/4 coil at a time at first. stop when you get to the ride hieght you want.

when you cut the coils, you want to cut then with a cuttoff wheel, and set the coil in cool to cold water, with slightly more than the amount of coil that you are cutting off sticking out of the water. this will help prevent you from ruining the temper of the spring.

bnickel · Apr 10, 2007

rebel65 said:
yes it's the 1/4 inch insolator i'm so glad i got it cause i was going to get the 1" Teehee.. i didn't replace any control arms though.

bnickel,
i did tighten all the spring perches and strut bolts with it up in the air, but the LCA i didn't touch. i will try that next weekend. what would you suggest though, jack it up loosen then let it down and bounce? just get some free movement and it should not be loaded?

cause i got up on top of my car and did everything but actually jump up and down on it ( feet leaving the ground err.. car ) to try and lower it and i weigh 250 lbs... so i thought if it was a tight LCA bolt it might give..

I Will report back then thanks a lot i always love you guys.

yes, definitely loosen everything up and bounce it up and down and even take it for short ride around the block. if you did waht you said and the car didn't move at all, you definitely have some preloading. i always tighten everything but the UCA's with car sitting on the ground.

2bav8 · Apr 10, 2007

I'd like to mention that roller spring perches will settle much, much faster.

HistoricMustang · Apr 10, 2007

2bav8 said:
I'd like to mention that roller spring perches will settle much, much faster.

Good point. I have a set that OpenTracker provided that have not been put on the car. Need to set aside some time to do this work.

Acceptable front spring height is a weekend project.

To do it right you need to put in and then take out and then cut and do the same process many more times. After each cut the car needs to be taken off the jack stands and driven.

The ride height on mine (see signature) is pretty good but it took a lot of effort.

This is one job you can not rush if you want it correct.

HistoricMustang

CraigMBA · Apr 10, 2007

Have you moved the car?

rebel65 · Jun 3, 2007

yes i drove it around. i loosened the LCA and bounced on the bumper and notmuch :|. well i think it's not too bad but 500 miles to settle? that will prolly take me more than 6 months as i don't drive it more than 20 minutes a month.

rebel65 · Jul 22, 2007

so it looks like the springs are just a little high, they are settling finally got my leaf springs in too. the roller perches are amazing, totally worth the money i suggest them to everyone and they do seem to have made the springs settle just a tiny bit in 3 drives so looking good. thanks for the help.

zookeeper · Jul 22, 2007

In my experiences, springs do not settle. I know everyone says otherwise, but I have yet to see it. Brand new cars have brand new springs, has anyone ever seen their new car lower itself? I also crew on a race car and the rules specify minimum ride height, when we set the car up with new springs in the shop, if the springs "settled" the car would be illegal after the race, yet that hasn't ever happened. I've lowered LOTS of cars over LOTS of years with LOTS of methods and have never seen a car drop more over time. Once you take the bind out of the suspension components, either by rolling the car forward and backwards a bit or by a quick drive around the block, what you have is what you will have next week, next month and next year. Unless you routinely overload your suspension, by carrying units of plywood or driving like Steve McQueen or both, springs hold their loaded height very consistently.

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